By ThinkTank ~ W hen people ask, “What made you lose your faith?” it’s always a little challenging to know what to say. How do we compress 5-10 years and 100 reasons into a short response when we really need several hours (or days) to talk about the process of losing our faith? Partial map of the Internet based on the January 15, 2005 data found on opte.org . Image via Wikipedia There is also a similar question that ex-christians ask themselves -- “How could I have believed something so improbable for so long?” It turns out, we were far from unintelligent and there is a very good reason why we believed for so long. We did not have access to information. No Information = Problems For most of human history, people have had very limited access to information. Most people were dependent on some type of authority for information because it was difficult to find information or to verify things on one’s own. Being dependent on others for information had lots of problems. It w...

By Lauren ~ I was not raised in a Christian family, however, my grandparents are Christian and they introduced me to a youth group church in the summer of my 8th grade year. I went there happily, for I had been told about God since I was a kid, and it was exciting for me to learn more about God. That same summer I went to a Christian music festival and I got baptized there. It was my own choice. After hearing a bunch of messages and testimonials about God and Jesus, in my heart I felt like the Holy spirit was leading me to get baptized in Jesus' name and accept Christianity into my life. So I did that without a doubt in my mind. I accepted it kind of blindly. When I returned home, I remember I was acting different. I was so happy all the time, and I spent much time praying. I tended to make assumptions that my prayers had been answered when it was really the result of my positive thinking. Or it was a coincidence. Or it would have happened anyways. I also read the Bible, but...

New York (NY) (May 16, 2011) - Nominated for Best US Drama at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival , The Ledge is the first film in Hollywood history that puts an atheist hero into a production with A-list talent. The film stars Charlie Hunnam ( Sons of Anarchy ), Liv Tyler ( The Lord of the Rings ), Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe nominee Patrick Wilson ( Watchmen ), and Oscar nominee Terrence Howard ( Crash, Iron Man ) On the rooftop of a city skyscraper, Detective Hollis (Terrence Howard) pleads with Gavin (Charlie Hunnam) not to jump. What he does not know is that Gavin, an atheist, is involved in a deadly feud with Joe (Patrick Wilson), a Christian extremist. Joe's wife, Shana, (Liv Tyler) is caught in the middle as Joe seeks to test Gavin's faith or lack of it. Cutting between the present and the past, tension escalates as verbal shots give way to deadly threats in a race against time that neither God nor the police can stop. Along the way, the film provocatively e...

By Dethblight ~ L ike most people, my de-conversion did not happen all at once, but rather in stages. Now that I am a full-fledged atheist, and I have had some time to consider all (or at least most) or the arguments for and against religion, I have come to a conclusion... (most) people believe what they WANT to believe. Image by spike55151 via Flickr If you are an atheist dealing with a Christian, you can never "win". You can say, "Give me your three main reasons you believe in the bible, and the three main reasons you don't DISbelieve in the bible." No matter what they say, and no matter what your response is, you are wrong. If you directly refute one claim, then that claim was not central to belief. If it is central AND you debunk it, you misinterpreted it. No matter what the Christian claim, you can come forth with a mountain of evidence, and it will make no difference. Quite simply, people believe what they WANT to believe, and what most peopl...

A song about indoctrination sent in by AtheistToothFairy ~ I thought you would enjoy this catchy tune with appropriate graphics in this new video on YouTube that a friend of mine has composed. Image by RedKoala1 via Flickr This original song explores the controversial view that teaching children that god is real is a form of psychological child abuse. I did not formulate this concept; there are many books written about this topic and specialized therapeutic modalities to treat it. I write, perform and record songs and this one is about credulity and religion. -- AtheistSongs

By Carl S ~ W hen we first met, I was with others who swore to your kindness, lovingness, caring. You impressed me to no end; I fell in love with you. But you had a past no one cared to notice and which I had to find out about on my own. In spite of all our time together, you haven't changed. I can't remember a time when we discussed and saw eye to eye on an important matter. It had to be your way or else. You never treated my intelligence with respect. There never was a "we." While I gave up everything for you, I had to keep lying to myself, hoping I'd be acceptable as I am, but I could never be good enough for you. It wouldn't happen, was not to be. Your attitudes are set; you weren't about to change your attitudes as long as your systems successfully kept us under your thumb. It was always about you. When I came, battered, before your arrogant friends, they defended you, telling me, "You must have provoked him," or "What did you say o...

A novel by Russ Wilson ~ T he Bible Belt Is Strangling Reed Hollington...and it only tightens its grip the harder he struggles against it. You know Reed-the fair-haired boy next door, middle child in the all-American family, good kid, straight-A student, football captain, high school senior with big plans, and former child preacher. Okay, maybe not that part. Growing up in a conservative small town, Reed never questioned the faith he was brought up in by his well-meaning parents, but neither did he fully buy into it-until tragedy struck as an early teen. Convinced that God spared his life for a special purpose, he was transformed into the "Golden Boy," a pious Gospel-preaching sensation that everyone loved. But, as Reed has gone through high school, his experiences have caused him to question what he once so fervently preached. Now he stands on the verge of abandoning all of it-and he could lose his friends, his family, and the approval of his entire hometown if he does. W...

By The Angel of Mercy ~ M y grandmother grew up in the deep South where her kind were hunted like wild animals, murdered mercilessly, and treated like garbage. Though she is far removed from that place now, the remnants of the abuse she has senselessly suffered due to the color of her skin has formed the very core of who she is. When she tells me stories from her childhood, none of them are ever happy --- ever. Like a gay person who refuses to accept and love herself, she is trapped in a mental cycle of self-loathing narcissism. I don't think she'll ever escape. She is happiest when describing the glorious day that she will go to meet the Lord. Dreams of heavenly gates, billowy clouds, and gold-plated streets fill her mind as her eyes close and tears form. I stroke her imagination. I tell her that God will be pleased with her service and that her name is surely written in the Book of Life . I am lying. I go with her on Sundays to that dreaded place filled with the living ...

By J. Christenson ~ W here to begin... I guess I'll give some history into my conversion to Christianity in the first place? Image by Darwin Bell via Flickr As a child I was exposed to many good Christian people. A baby sitter. An aunt. Both of which suggested to my Catholic-raised parents that I should attend a Christian youth group called Awana . I went for a year or two as a very young child. I remember that I liked receiving praise and badges for remembering words from the work books they handed out. The characters were exciting to look at. It seemed like lessons similar to other books I had. Lessons about being nice. Being good. Oh, and this other weird one about crossing from one side of a cliff across this cross shaped bridge to the other side where huge hands holding a crown and light coming from it floated waiting for you. Whatever I did, I didn't want to be one of the stick figures that fell off the cliff into that big camp fire. It all seemed like a good time. A...

By WizenedSage (Galen Rose) ~ T his is written primarily for the benefit of the curious Christian who has landed on this site wondering what it’s all about. This site exists for the support of those who have left, or are considering leaving, the Christian faith. The bulk of those posting articles and commenting on them are atheists or agnostics. Wait! Don’t let that word “atheist” scare you. An atheist is one who doesn’t believe in any gods; nothing more and nothing less. I have known many atheists and agnostics and can assure you that very few eat babies. In fact, the vast majority has been found (in polls and psychological research) to be moral and ethical beings, and nearly all of them truly care about the welfare of others. In fact, this site exists to help them help others. I want to suggest to you that the signs that Christianity is based on false premises are all around you, and that the bible is overflowing with those signs. However, you have been taught to fear taking...

By Yles ~ O n September 7, 1994, Harold Camping and his followers sat dressed in their Sunday best, holding their Bibles open-faced towards Heaven as they waited for the return of Christ. Their wait was in vain, as the sun rose on September 8 with no Rapture having occurred. Camping chalked this up to a mathematical error, and moved the date of the Rapture to May 21, 2011; another day that has come and gone without major incident. Image by Getty Images via @daylife As the media storm surrounding Camping’s prediction was beginning to stir, I noticed many of the comments being left on articles were from Christians, ridiculing and chastising Camping’s followers. One article I read mentioned an individual who had been listening to—and believing in—Camping’s Family Radio since before the failed 1994 prediction. While some laughed, some rolled their eyes, and some scolded, the Christian community could not wrap their minds around why someone would continue to follow someone whose pr...

By ByronFish ~ W ho is the enabler and who is the codependent? Image by jasonEscapist via Flickr I hesitate to write this because I’m sure plenty of smart and articulate people have already written about the codependent/enabler relationship people of faith have with their god/gods. My great aunt...I’m calling her ‘Pat’ in this story, who has since past was married most of her life to an abusive, pedophile and violent man. When I was young, maybe 6-8 years old, I was often baby sat by my aunt. My aunt was a foster parent on top of having several children and many grandchildren running around the house at any given time. There were kids, dogs and cats everywhere in that house...and there was also her husband George. All of us kids knew to stay away from George. At the time my reason for avoiding him was because I often witnessed him grabbing young children who walked too close to his recliner where he sat watching t.v. and smoking his cigars. If caught, he would burn the child w...

By Carl S ~ I t all began this way: I was reading an article from the magazine Free Inquiry, of 10/11/2010, entitled "Does God Destroy Our Sense of Compassion?" and I started reading a part of it to my Christian wife. To wit: "A perfect God, however, isn't subject to our limitations in knowledge or power, or indeed to any real limitations in knowledge or power. So no perfect God has an excuse for exploitation, even if we sometimes do . . . Yet many children endure intense, undeserved, and involuntary suffering every day, all over the world. What should we do when we encounter them? Obviously, we ought to act compassionately toward them . . . But wait. If God exists, their suffering must be needed - somehow, even if we can't see how - for the overall benefit of those very sufferers. In that case, what happens to the moral duty we thought we had to prevent or relieve their suffering? It disappears." So, I explained to my wife that I had a similar thought y...

By atheistnurse ~ D ear God, I tried your breeding tips as outlined in your book Genesis 30:37-43 with my goats and cattle and didn’t have any results. I cut the skin off tree branches and stuck them in my livestock’s watering place and, well, nothing happened. Jacob did real good with it, but I am not having the same results. People have laughed at me for believing the Creator of the Universe might know something about livestock breeding, but I know your Word is inerrant, so if you could just give me some kind of sign on why I am not getting results I would appreciate it cause I really want to stick it to those naysayers who think your Word is just silly superstitious nonsense. I hope you have noticed how I have defended you from others who say you sure sound gay in the OT when you go on and on about decorating your temple and designing clothes with fringes, bells, jewels, and pomegranates. You also use purple a lot. I think they sound cool, but, you know homosexual men real...

By The Truth Seeker ~ A s I watch people struggling on this web site about coming out to friends, relatives, and parents concerning their non-belief, it occurs to me that many of us (including me) are struggling with this issue in one form or another. Some I know have not had this issue and some have been brave enough to announce their affiliation with that great minion of the underworld Satan (at least that’s what it looks like to Christians). Image by keishkakeishka via Flickr So I ask myself what are we really afraid of. For me it is the embarrassment that my wife will feel that everyone will finally know that she is married to an atheist (no matter whether I am atheistic, agnostic, humanist, naturalist, etc). That is how Christians think of the whole bunch of us, just dirty atheists. They can’t think of a lower thing on this earth to be. This will confirm their suspicions why I stopped coming to church. You can bet that my wife did not tell anyone that I had gone over t...

By eveningmeadows ~ Y ears ago when I was still at church, the pastor was thinking of adding a big addition. No one knew he was thinking about this at the time. He began grooming young couples in the church to take on leadership roles. One Easter, one of the young men was teaching Sunday morning bible study before Easter. A few things brought this story to mind. One was a comment by some of the posters on this site that the writers of the bible seemed to be preoccupied with women’s biological functions. Then Easter came along, and I remembered this guy and his Sunday school class. He did the usual boring study on the easter story, how jesus died on the cross, how he was nailed and suffered for our sins. He brought up the bible verse, Isaiah 64:6, that our righteous acts are like filthy rags. He went on to explain that “filthy rags” were menstrual rags that women used for their monthly periods. I had never heard that before, and it stayed in my mind. I, of course, have grown up ...

By Renoliz ~ I did a couple of articles on the concept of Christian hell awhile back: " Hell - Revisited " and " Hell- Roots" and I said I wanted to do an article on why hell is such an abusive concept. Dr. Marlene Winell recently sent in a video where she discussed that Armageddon and the Rapture are terrorism . And they are. So is the concept of hell. In the article Hell – Roots I said: My beef is with the Christians who use eternal Hell - this irresponsible and immoral concept – and use it to great effect. Christians who do not believe in Hell are sent packing. They are scorned by most Christians. Most of Christianity wants Hell as a doctrine. They can’t give it up. It is a tool of control; a weapon to keep those who join the Church from leaving; a motivator to get the sheeples to do as the pastor/preacher/minister/priest desires. I have no doubt that there are sincere Christians but I also have no doubt that Hell is a baseball bat aimed at the knee c...